Banana Yoshimoto (よしもと ばなな, Yoshimoto Banana^?, born July 24, 1964^[1], in Tokyo) is the pen name of Mahoko Yoshimoto (吉本 真秀子 Yoshimoto Mahoko), a Japanese contemporary writer. She writes her name in hiragana. July 24 is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...   , literally Eastern capital) is a unique subnational administrative region of Japan with characteristics of both a prefecture and a city. ... For the album by the Kaiser Chiefs see Employment (album) Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... // Fiction (from the Latin fingere, to form, create) is the genre of imaginative prose literature, including novels and short stories. ... July 24 is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ...   , literally Eastern capital) is a unique subnational administrative region of Japan with characteristics of both a prefecture and a city. ... A pen name or nom de plume is a pseudonym adopted by an author. ... The term writer can apply to anyone who creates a written work, but the word more usually designates those who write creatively or professionally, or those who have written in many different forms. ... Japanese writing Kanji Kana Hiragana Katakana Hentaigana Manyōgana Uses Furigana Okurigana Rōmaji Hiragana ) is a Japanese syllabary, one component of the Japanese writing system, along with katakana and kanji; the Latin alphabet is also used in some cases. ...

Biography

Yoshimoto, daughter of Takaaki Yoshimoto (also known as Ryūmei Yoshimoto, one of the most famous and influential Japanese philosophers and critics of the 1960s), was born in Tokyo on July 24, 1964. Along with having a famous father, Banana Yoshimoto's sister, Haruno Yoiko is a well-known cartoonist in Japan. Growing up in a liberal family, she learned the value of independence from a young age. Takaaki Yoshimoto (吉本 隆明 Yoshimoto Takaaki, November 25, 1924 - ) also known as RyÅ«mei Yoshimoto, is a Japanese poet, literary critic, and philosopher from Tokyo. ... Takaaki Yoshimoto (吉本 隆明 Yoshimoto Takaaki, November 25, 1924 - ) also known as RyÅ«mei Yoshimoto, is a Japanese poet, literary critic, and philosopher from Tokyo. ... The philosopher Socrates about to take poison hemlock as ordered by the court. ... The 1960s decade refers to the years from January 1, 1960 to December 31, 1969, inclusive. ...   , literally Eastern capital) is a unique subnational administrative region of Japan with characteristics of both a prefecture and a city. ... July 24 is the 205th day of the year (206th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1964 (MCMLXIV) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1964 calendar). ... Cartoonist Jack Elrod at work. ...

She graduated from Nihon University's Art College, majoring in Literature. During that time, she took the pseudonym "Banana," a name she recognizes as both "cute" and "purposefully androgynous." Nihon University (日本大学; Nihon Daigaku abbreviated as 日大 Nichidai) is the largest university in Japan. ... Old book bindings at the Merton College library. ...

Despite her success, Yoshimoto remains a somewhat down-to-earth and obscure figure. Whenever she appears in public she eschews make-up and dresses simply. She seems impervious to bad reviews — her novels sell incredibly well neverthless. She keeps her personal life guarded, and reveals little about her certified Rolfer husband and son Manachinko (born in 2003). Instead, she talks about her writing. Each day she takes half an hour to write at her computer, and she says "I tend to feel guilty because I write these stories almost for fun." She keeps an on-line journal for her English-speaking fans. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Works

Yoshimoto began her writing career while working as a waitress at a golf-club restaurant in 1987. She names American author Stephen King as one of her first major influences, and drew inspiration especially from his non-horror stories. As her writing progressed, she was further influenced by the more literary Truman Capote and Isaac Bashevis Singer. 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of over 200 stories including over 50 bestselling horror novels. ... Truman Capote (pronounced ) (30 September 1924 – 25 August 1984) was an American writer whose non-fiction, stories, novels and plays are recognized literary classics, including the novella Breakfast at Tiffanys (1958) and In Cold Blood (1965), which he labeled a non-fiction novel. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Her debut novel, Kitchen, was a phenomenal instant success, with over sixty printings in Japan alone. There have been two films made of the story, a Japanese TV movie and a more widely released version produced in Hong Kong by Yim Ho in 1997. She won the 6th Kaien Newcomer Writers Prize in November 1987, the Umitsubame First Novel Prize, and then the 16th Izumi Kyoka Literary Prize in January 1988 for Kitchen. Kitchen was written by Banana Yoshimoto in 1988 and translated into English in 1993. ... The communications media of Japan include numerous television and radio networks as well as newspapers and magazines. ... Yim Ho 嚴浩, one of the famous Hong Kong directors in 1980s, and a leader of Hong Kong New Wave. ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Another one of her novels, Goodbye Tsugumi, was also made into a movie in 1990, directed by Jun Ichikawa. The novel received mixed reviews. Goodbye Tsugumi （TUGUMI) is a novel written by Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto (吉本ばなな）in 1989 and translated into English in 2002 by Michael Emmerich. ... MCMXC redirects here; for the Enigma album, see MCMXC a. ... Ichikawa Jun (市川準, born 25 November 1948 in Tokyo, Japan) is a film director. ...

Critics think that much of her work is superficial and commercial; her fans however, think it perfectly captures what it means to be young and frustrated in modern Japan. Yoshimoto herself identifies her two main themes as "the exhaustion of young people in contemporary Japan" and "the way in which terrible experiences shape a person's life." Her novels can be fun and escapist, but are always touched with traditional Japanese ideology. Her writing can be quite piercing, haunting, poignant, and darkly humorous all at once. Though critics believe her to be "lightweight," Yoshimoto unabashedly states that she aims to win a Nobel Prize for Literature. The Nobel Prize in literature is awarded annually to an author from any country who has produced the most outstanding work of an idealistic tendency. The work in this case generally refers to an authors work as a whole, not to any individual work, though individual works are sometimes...

Her works include 12 novels and seven collections of essays (including Pineapple Pudding and Song From Banana) which have together sold over six million copies worldwide. Her themes include love and friendship, the power of home and family, and the effect of loss on the human spirit.

In 1998, she wrote the foreword to the Italian edition of the book Ryuichi Sakamoto. Conversazioni by musicologist Massimo Milano. Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... Through a passionate and exclusive conversation with the author, Massimo Milano, the book Ryuichi Sakamoto. ... Massimo Milano (Torino, 1967) is ethnomusicologist and music critic. ...

Awards

Banana Yoshimoto was awarded the 39th edition Best Newcomer Artists Recommended Prize by the Minister of Education in August 1988 for Kitchen and Utakata/Sankuchuari. In March 1989, Goodbye Tsugumi was awarded the 2nd Yamamoto Shugoro Literary Prize. In 1994 her first long novel, Amrita, was awarded the Murasaki-shikibu Prize. 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ...

Bibliography

Kitchen is a novel written by Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto in 1988 and translated into English in 1993. ... See also: 1987 in literature, other events of 1988, 1989 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1992 in literature, other events of 1993, 1994 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Asleep （白河夜船) is a novel written by Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto (吉本ばなな）in 1989 and translated into English in 2000 (book was released in 2001[1]) by Michael Emmerich. ... See also: 1988 in literature, other events of 1989, 1990 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1999 in literature, other events of 2000, 2001 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Goodbye Tsugumi （TUGUMI) is a novel written by Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto (吉本ばなな）in 1989 and translated into English in 2002 by Michael Emmerich. ... See also: 2001 in literature, other events of 2002, 2003 in literature, list of years in literature. ... NP （Ｎ・Ｐ) is a novel written by Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto (吉本ばなな）in 1990 and translated into English in 1994 by Ann Sherif. ... See also: 1989 in literature, other events of 1990, 1991 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1993 in literature, other events of 1994, 1995 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Lizard (とかげ) is a short story collection by Banana Yoshimoto, written in 1993 and translated into English in 1995 by Ann Sherif. ... See also: 1992 in literature, other events of 1993, 1994 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 1994 in literature, other events of 1995, 1996 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Amrita （アムリタ) is a novel written by Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto (吉本ばなな）in 1994 and translated into English in 1997 by Russell F. Wasden. ... See also: 1996 in literature, other events of 1997, 1998 in literature, list of years in literature. ... Moonlight Shadow is an award-winning novella by Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto. ... Hardboiled & Hard Luck (ハードボイルド／ハードラック Alt: Hādoboirudo. ... See also: 1998 in literature, other events of 1999, 2000 in literature, list of years in literature. ... // Events February 25 - Canada Reads selects Rockbound by Frank Parker Day as the novel to be read across the nation. ...

External links

• Official Banana Yoshimoto Site
• Article from Metropolis
• Bananamania

References